Celtic and Old English Saints 29 March =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. Gwynllyw of Wales * St. Gwladys * St. Eustace of Luxeuil * St. Lasar * St. Rupert of Salzburg =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
St. Gwynllyw of Wales, Hermit (Gundleus, Woolo, Woollos) ---------------------------------------------------------- Died c. 500. Gundleus (Latin for Gwynllyw, which is anglicised as Woolo) was a Welsh chieftain. Although he was the eldest, when his father died, Gundleus divided his inheritance among his six brothers. According to legend, he desired to marry Gwladys (f.d. today), daughter of Saint Brychan of Brecknock (f.d. April 6). When Brychan refused his daughter's hand, Gundleus kidnapped and married her. (One aspect of the legend has King Arthur helping to defeat the pursuing Brychan and being dissuaded from capturing Gwladys for himself by two of his knights.) Nevertheless, Gundleus and Gwladys led a riotous life, engaging in violence and banditry until their first son, Saint Cadoc (f.d. September 25), convinced them to adopt and follow a religious life together at Stow Hill near Newport (Gwent), Monmouthshire. Later he had them separate and live as hermits. Gundleus spent his last years completely retired from the world in a solitary little dwelling near a church which he had built. He wore sackcloth, ate barley-bread strewn with ashes, and drank water. To constant prayer and contemplation he added the work of his hands. On his deathbed, Gundleus was visited by Saint Dyfrig (f.d. November 14) and his own son Cadoc, who provided him with the Last Rites of the Church. There is a church dedicated to him at Newport (Attwater2, Benedictines, Delaney, Farmer, Husenbeth). Icon of St. Gwynllyw http://www.odox.net/A-gwynll.jpg Troparion of St Gladys and St Gwynllyn tone 5 Rejoice, thrice-blessed Gladys,/ daughter of King Brychan,/ wife of holy Gwynllyn and mother of Saint Cadoc./ O worthy Gwynllyn,/ thou didst forsake thy pagan warfare to fight as a Christian ascetic/ and didst end thy days as a hermit./ We praise you, Gladys and Gwynllyn. St. Gwaladys (Gladys, Gladusa, Claudia), Hermit ---------------------------------------------------------- Born in Wales in the 5th century. One of the 24 children of Brychan of Brecknock, wife of Saint Gundleus (f.d. today), and mother of Saints Cadoc (f.d. September 25) and, possibly, Keyna (f.d. October 8), Saint Gladys led a very interesting life. It is said that after their conversion by the example and exhortation of their son, she and Gundleus lived an austere life. It included the rather interesting practice throughout the year of taking a nightly baths in the Usk, followed by a mile-long walk unclothed. Her son finally convinced them to end the practice and to separate. Gladys moved to Pencanau in Bassaleg. The details of her story come from a 12th-century "vita," which includes miracles that took place in the time of Saint Edward the Confessor (f.d. October 13) and William I (Attwater2, Benedictines, Delaney, Farmer, Husenbeth). St. Eustace (Eustasius) of Luxeuil, Abbot ---------------------------------------------------------- Died 625. Saint Eustace was a favourite disciple and monk of Saint Columbanus (f.d. November 23), whom he succeeded as second abbot of Luxeuil in 611. He ruled over about 600 monks. During his abbacy the monastery was a veritable seminary for bishops and saints, perhaps because of the example he gave by his own humility, continual prayer, and fasting (Benedictines, Husenbeth). St. Lasar (Lassar, Lassera), Virgin ---------------------------------------------------------- 6th century. The Irish nun Saint Lasar (meaning 'Flame') was the niece of Saint Forchera. Still very young, she entered religious life under the care of SS. Finnian (f.d. December 12) and Ciaran (f.d. September 9) at Clonard (Benedictines). St. Rupert (Hrodbert, Robert, Rupprecht) of Salzburg, Bishop --------------------------------------------------------- Died in Salzburg, Austria, on March 27, c. 710-720; feast day formerly March 27; feast of the translation of his relics is kept in Bavaria and Austria on September 25. There have been varying opinions as to where Rupert was born and when (with variations of 100 years). While more reliable sources make him a Frankish nobleman, others, including Colgan insist he was an Irishman with the Gaelic name Robertach. From his youth he was renowned for his learning, extraordinary virtues, austerity, and charity that sought to impoverish himself to enrich the poor. People came from remote provinces to receive his advice. He would remove all their doubts and scruples, comfort the afflicted, cure the sick, and heal the disorders of souls. His virtuous life led to his being consecrated bishop of Worms, Germany, from where he began his missionary work in southern Bavaria and Austria. (One version says he was expelled by the pagans at Worms, others that he was simply a zealous, evangelical Christian.) Rupert travelled to Regensburg (Ratisbon) with a small company about 697, perhaps with credentials from the French King Childebert III, or because Duke Theodo of Bavaria had heard of his reputation for miracles and invited him. They went to Duke Theodo, whose permission they needed to proceed. While Theodo was not a Christian, his sister, Bagintrude, is said to have been one. He agreed to listen to their preaching and was converted and baptized. Many of the leading men and women of the land followed the duke's example and embraced Christianity, which had been preached there 200 years earlier by Saint Severinus of Noricum (f.d. January 8). Instead of knocking down pagan temples, as many missionaries did, Rupert preferred to consecrate them as Christian churches. For example, those at Regensburg and Altoetting were soon altered for Christian services. (It is said that the statue of the Blessed Mother at Altoetting was brought there from Ireland by an Irishman named Rupert.) Where there was no suitable temple to adapt churches were built, and Regensburg became primarily Christian. God confirmed Rupert's preaching by many miracles. Soon the missionary work met with such success that many more helpers from Franconia were needed to meet the spiritual needs of Rupert's converts. The group continued down the Danube, converting still more. After Ratisbon, the capital, the next seat of his labours was "Laureacum," now called Lorch, where he healed several diseases by prayer, and won many other souls to Christ. But in neither of these flourishing towns did Rupert establish his bishopric. He made the old, fallen-down town of Juvavum, given to him by the duke of Bavaria, his headquarters. The town was restored and he named it Salzburg (Salt Fortress). There with the help of his companions Saints Virgilius (f.d. November 27), Chuniald (f.d. September 24), and Gislar (f.d. September 24), Rupert founded Saint Peter's church and monastery with a school along the lines of the Irish monasteries. He made a trip home to gather twelve more recruits. His sister, Saint Ermentrudis (f.d. June 30), entered a convent he founded at Nonnberg (setting for "The Sound of Music") and became its first abbess. He did much to foster the operation of the salt mines. Rupert, the first archbishop of Salzburg, is considered to be the Apostle of Bavaria and Austria. He died on Easter Day. Thereafter, he became so renowned that countries such as Ireland claimed him as a native son and celebrate his memory liturgically. The Duchy of Salzburg cast his likeness with that of the Saint Virgilius on the coin of the realm called a rubentaler (Attwater, Attwater2, Benedictines, Bentley, D'Arcy, Encyclopaedia, Farmer, Gougaud, Husenbeth, Kenney, Walsh, White). Rupert's emblem in art is a barrel of salt, because of his association with the reopening of the salt mines. He may be shown holding a basket of eggs; baptizing Duke Theodo(re) of Bavaria; or with Saint Virgilius of Salzburg (Farmer, Roeder, White). Sources: ======== Attwater, D. (1958). A Dictionary of Saints. New York: P. J. Kennedy & Sons. [Attwater 2] Benedictine Monks of Saint Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of Saints. NY: Macmillan. Bentley, J. (1986). A Calendar of Saints: The Lives of the Principal Saints of the Christian Year, NY: Facts on File. D'Arcy, M. R. (1974). The Saints of Ireland. Saint Paul, Minnesota: Irish American Cultural Institute. [This is probably the most useful book to choose to own on the Irish saints. The author provides a great deal of historical context in which to place the lives of the saints.] Encyclopaedia of Catholic Saints, March. (1966). Philadelphia: Chilton Books. Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Husenbeth, Rev. F. C., DD, VG (ed.). (1928). Butler's Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. London: Virtue & Co. Kenney, J. F. (1929). Sources for Early History of Ireland, vol. 1, Ecclesiastical. New York: Columbia University Press. Roeder, H. (1956). Saints and Their Attributes, Chicago: Henry Regnery. Walsh, M. (ed.). (1985). Butler's Lives of the Saints. San Francisco. Harper & Row. Walsh, W. T. (1943). White, K. E. (1992). Guide to the Saints. NY: Ivy Books. For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm An Alphabetical Index of the Saints of the West http://www.orthodoxengland.btinternet.co.uk/saintsa.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
